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From: Self <Single-user mode>
To: @YWI.PML
Subject: Control Watershed discussion
Reply-to: sbihome@oro.net
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Date: Mon, 18 Jan 1999 10:32:02 -0800

Dear YWI Board and Cooperators:

We are almost complete with the benthic sampling in Spring, Shady
and Grizzly Creeks. I estimate 2.5 day's work remains. This does
not include the control watershed, and I suggest we not sample
it at this time. We should definitely gather data from the
control, but we should not do it with this round of EPA
funding. I suggest instead that we gather this data in cooperation
with Sierra College in the Spring of 1999, and also with funding
from EPA and/or other sources as part of the Nevada County
Biological Assessment.

JoAnn Hild, Sierra College instructor for the Spring 1999 Semester
course "Natural History, Ecology, and Conservation," recently
contacted me regarding my involvement in serving as a teaching
assistant in the class. Approximately 50 hours of her classtime
will be devoted to stream ecology and benthic macroinvertebrates,
including field sampling and laboratory identification. I
suggested, and she agreed, that we would gather spring data on one
of our study watersheds. Instead I suggest that we take the class
to the control watershed. In the field, students would gather data
for their later identification in the lab., and a second dataset
that will be sent out to the BLM laboratory in Utah.

Ideally, the laboratory work for the control watershed would be
paid for by one of the other members of the San Juan CRMP, such as
the BLM or USFS. We have a special fund for laboratory work, but
it has insufficient funds to pay for all the samples from Spring,
Shady and Grizzly Creeks, let alone the control. We can makeup the
shortfall from other funds, but the $450 we need for the control
watershed would ideally come from another source. Does anyone have
ideas on how to fund this?

If the '98 EPA proposal (the Nevada County Bio-Assessment) is
funded, most likely the data from one of Nevada County's less
disturbed watershed will serve as the control. But we won't know
until April if the EPA will fund us.

Note: in the original EPA grant for the 'Inimim Plan, we did not
plan to assess a control watershed. All we planned to do was
assess current conditions in the 'Inimim watersheds. When we
complete the laboratory work on our Spring, Shady and Grizzly Cr.
samples, this assessment will be complete, and we will have
baseline data against which to measure future changes. Control data
would give us a goal to work towards. With it we can show the
macroinvertebrate diversity and abundance in a nearly undisturbed
old-growth stream, and use these statistics as a standard for
desired future condition in the 'Inimim watersheds.

So, let's do the control work with Sierra College in the spring!

Please write me with any questions, comments or suggestions.

Warm regards,

Eric